Chapter 24
Swan Song Estates was looking more like a group of small cabins or a tiny, gated community rather than a construction site the evening that the moving truck was supposed to arrive with Mandy and Jack’s belongings.
The gate had been installed with the name of the place painted around a swan swimming on the lake.
The siren and lights had been replaced with a new security system linked to the police station in Wichita Falls.
“Hey, everyone,” Jack yelled to the teams that were still there. “I just got a text from Mandy that they are five minutes out.”
“Then our showers will wait until after we help y’all get unloaded,” Knox said.
“But Knox and I have first dibs after we get through,” Lottie called out.
Thomas gave her a smart salute. “Yes, ma’am. Now, let’s all get out on the cabin porch and give Mandy a proper welcome.”
The big moving truck pulled up in front of the house with Mandy right behind it in her SUV. She got out and waved at the crowd. “I’m home!” she yelled.
“Welcome!” everyone shouted, and they were at the back of the truck by the time the driver lowered the ramp.
“Oh. My. Goodness!” Mandy gasped. “I wasn’t expecting this much help.”
Jack draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m glad you are here and that we can be together for the rest of our lives.”
Lottie came close to swooning when she heard him say those words. She wished that she could truly believe that she and Knox would someday still be in love.
We have made great progress today. You just admitted that you are someone Knox can love. Her therapist from years ago popped into her head.
Lottie ignored the voice and picked up a box marked COOKBOOKS and carried it into the cabin. “Aunt Mandy, I’ve never known you to measure anything. Why did you bring all these?”
Mandy led the way into the house. “Because one belonged to my grandmother, another to my mama, and the rest are from churches we attended. Seemed like there was always a committee to raise money for the missionaries by making a cookbook, and I have recipes in them. You wouldn’t believe how many I gave away when I downsized. ”
“When you make out your will, I would love to have one with your recipes in it,” Lottie said.
“Why? You don’t cook,” Eddie said with a smile.
“Not one time did I say I could not cook. I said I can make canned soup and sandwiches, and that is not a lie,” she shot back at him.
“All these years,” Thomas growled.
“Yep, all these years, but now I’m not going to work with y’all anymore, so I figure the secret can come out.” She grinned.
“You are downright mean,” Gabe said.
“You are learning,” Mandy told him. “She’s a fine cook. Her grandmother and mother saw to that, but she always liked a hammer more than a frying pan.”
Lottie put the box down on the counter and popped her hands on her hips. “I smell rain, and there’s dark clouds down in the Southwest. Are you going to stand around here and argue with me, or get that truck unloaded? I’d hate to see Aunt Mandy’s furniture get soaked.”
Mandy tucked a strand of gray hair back into her ponytail.
“Put those cookbooks on the top shelf. I’ll have to get a step stool to get at them, but then they are more keepsakes than something I use very often.
” She waited until the guys were all back outside before she said, “Tell me about you and Knox.”
“What about us?” Lottie asked.
“Jack told me that y’all hit a rough spot. Did you get through it, or is it still going on?”
“We talked it out, and we’re fine,” Lottie answered.
No way was she going into the particulars of the argument with so many guys coming in and out with furniture and boxes.
Learning that she could cook was enough for them to know in one day, or forever for that matter.
Like the old saying about Vegas, what happened in New Iberia stayed in New Iberia.
“That’s good, but honey, it will not be the last time you argue.
That sofa that Knox and Thomas just brought inside is proof of that.
Jack wanted a leather one to match his recliner, but I like a soft fabric that’s warm when I sit on it.
We finally compromised. I picked out what I wanted, and he got the chair he wanted,” Mandy told her.
“Truck is unloaded. Thank all of you for the help,” Jack said above the noise of dozens of conversations. “I’ll help Mandy if…” His phone rang, and he stepped into the utility room to answer it.
When he came back out, Eddie was holding the door open for several of the guys to go on outside. “If you’re going to keep from getting wet on your way to the trailers, you better jog instead of walk. I felt a little mist on my face a minute ago.”
Lottie laced her fingers with Knox’s and said, “We’re the lucky ones. We don’t have to move anything but two cats and a rooster when we leave this place.”
“One cat and a chicken until you finish up the summer in El Paso,” he answered.
Jack yelled before the crowd dispersed. “Would all y’all take a few minutes and meet me in the rec hall? I just now got a phone call, and I need to discuss something with you.”
Thomas made an abrupt turn. “Anyone have an idea what this is all about?”
“Nope,” Lottie answered, and then a chill danced down her spine. Had something happened to her parents? Had they decided to give up their cabin and live in Dallas?
“Are you okay?” Knox asked.
“Why are you asking?” Lottie frowned.
“You look worried, and you shivered. Are you getting sick?”
“Just worried. Let’s see what the news is before I panic. Uncle Jack could be going to hand out our bonus checks early, and my imagination has run wild for nothing.”
Jack raised his hand to get their attention when Lottie and Knox made it inside.
“I’ve just gotten off the phone with Walter’s wife.
There’s two things y’all need to know. He has had a mild heart attack and has decided to retire for good.
Gracie says that he is doing fine, but the doctor says he has to eat right and avoid stress. ”
“That eating right business won’t be easy.” Thomas chuckled. “He loves his food and has a sweet tooth that a candy factory couldn’t satisfy.”
Knox gently squeezed Lottie’s hand. “Does this mean we don’t have to be separated for the summer?”
“Maybe,” she whispered. “But we still need…”
Jack butted in before Lottie could finish what she was saying.
“You are right about Walter and his sugar, but it looks like he’s going to have to curb that a lot.
The second is that the project out in El Paso has gone under because several of their investors have pulled out.
With the economy what it is, I can’t blame them.
They have already built the rec hall, but a senior citizens’ group has offered to buy it.
That means there will be no Hamptons in Texas.
I hate to tell y’all this when I know you were depending on that job, but I wanted you to know as soon as possible. ”
Thomas raised a fist in the air. “Yes! That is great news. My family wants to start up our own business, and this means we can do it earlier than fall. And any of y’all who are here and want a job, come talk to me.
We will be located out in western Oklahoma and will try to keep our projects close enough that we can go home at night. ”
“I’ll talk to you when we finish the last cabin,” Vincent said.
“What about you, Lottie?” Thomas asked.
“I don’t think so,” she answered. “That’s too far from right here. I want to be close to my parents and other relatives.”
“If you change your mind, I’ll always have a place for you,” Thomas said.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
“That’s all,” Jack said. “I’ve got some calls to make to the teams that have already left. Thanks for all the help unloading the truck, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Eddie shook his head. “Mandy might not say as much, but you should be in the cabin helping her. We’ve got that last cabin covered. And thanks for telling us the news as soon as you heard. We’ll all be calling home to let our families know there’s been a change in plans.”
“Oh, one other thing,” Jack said. “Lottie’s parents, Zeke and Darlene, will arrive Friday morning. If you have that last cabin finished, would you stick around and pitch in and help them like you did for me and Mandy before you leave the grounds?”
“You got it, Boss,” Gabe said.
With the news, Lottie seemed to be in limbo as she picked up their tote bags carrying clean clothing for the shower. She needed to be ready if Knox asked her to live with him. Her mind said, Go for it, but her heart said, Don’t rush.
“I’m going to stick around down here until my folks leave for their cruise,” she blurted out and immediately wished she had given the idea some more thought before she said anything.
Knox led the way to the bathroom. “That’s better than the whole summer. I can live with that.”
Lottie was on the verge of being offended. If he truly felt that they belonged together, shouldn’t he fight for her to go to Spanish Fort with him as soon as the job was finished? “I wasn’t expecting that answer,” she said with a crisp edge to her tone.
He closed the door and adjusted the water in the shower.
“Hey, I will never, ever stand in your way if you want to spend time with your family. I only wish I could have a week with my parents at this time in my life. Like I told you before, I want you to come to Spanish Fort. I even want you to live in the house with me, but all that is your decision to make. I will not pressure you into anything. Now strip out of those clothes and I’ll massage your back. ”
She dropped her jeans and shirt on the floor, and he unfastened her bra. “Why do you have to be so sweet about everything?”
“It’s just the way I am.” He grinned. “I can get all riled up, but it would be selfish of me to try to talk you out of spending time with your family. You will make memories you will cherish forever after they are gone. That said, I will miss you something fierce when we are apart, no matter how long it is.”
“I bet I miss you even more.”
“Not possible,” he said as he stripped out of his clothing and led her into the shower stall.